Shaker Maker Craft

Make some noise with these fun shakers you can make at home!

In I Want to Be a Drummer!, Daniel creates his own drum set out of items he finds around the house: a suitcase, a cardboard box, and some pie tins, among others.

Today we'll teach you how to help your child make another percussion instrument out of simple objects you probably already have at home: a shaker!

Here's what you need:

1 metal juice or soup can (make sure the inside is clean and completely dry)

1/4 cup of rice (popcorn kernels, lentils and other dry foods can also work)

Duct tape

Scissors (not pictured)

Rice, can, duct tape—check!

The steps to make your shaker are super easy.

Pour some of your rice (or other filler) into the metal can. Don't fill it to the top—leave some space so the rice has room to bounce around and make noise.

Put one or two short strips of duct tape over the open hole on the can. This will keep the rice from falling out when we shake it around.

Use scissors to trim any extra tape from the edges of the can.

Optional - Wrap some paper around the can and decorate your shaker however you want!

All done! Wasn't that easy?

That's it! Congratulations, you've made your own shaker!

Oh wait, there IS one more step...

5. Shake it, shake it, shake it! Make some rhythms with your new instrument by shaking it around in the air.

If you want to make more shakers, try using a different type of can, or a milk jug, or a juice bottle. Try different fillers too, and see how different materials make different sounds. But most importantly: have fun!

Oh, and if you want to see a shaker in action, check out this video of I Want to Be a Drummer! author Mark Powers making rhythms with his own shaker.